Burnout sucks big time and it gets the best of us.
Are you even an entrepreneur if you haven’t hit a mild burnout yet?
It is like an initiation within the coaching world because we try to do everything ourselves when we first start out. You have tried to do all the things, keep your clients happy, promote your offers, be everyone within your business, keep motivated, problem solve, create new content and so on.
Not to mention actually being a human being, those chores won’t do themselves right!
Suddenly you start feeling like you are less superwomen/man and more stig of the dump. When you hit this stage, you need to hear that you are needed, that you are still inspirational, and you are most definitely on your way to a breakthrough.
When I personally feel burnout looming, I know afterwards I will be having a huge breakthrough, and this will in turn be added to my ‘burnout tool belt’ because getting to this stage within business is normal.
I remember hitting my first burnout blip early on within my business. I have bipolar and I am unable to take meds to balance this. Bipolar comes with all the bells and whistles of depression, anxiety, crippling lows and extreme highs. I had a habit of always taking on too much and I couldn’t say ‘no’ enough. I would have my fingers in all the pies, wearing all the hats within my business and beginning to resent the things that I really didn’t like doing.
This then had a snowball effect. I began to feel depressed because I was spending too much time overthinking what I thought I should be doing. I then felt anxious that I wasn’t helping the people that needed my help. My mental health took a bashing because then I started to doubt myself and slowly but surely, I slipped into burnout.
I think the worst thing about this is that no matter how hard you try you can’t seem to find a way out. Almost like ‘business depression’ it takes over your life and you feel helpless to stop it.
Phew that was harsh but the good news is because I have already been there, done it and got the t-shirt, I have put together some journaling prompts that will help you find clarity, help you stay focused and get you out of the funk you may be in.
Remember when you are on the brink of burning out there are lots of things you can do to bring clarity back into your life, it isn’t the end and you will learn from this experience.
I would suggest that you take these journaling prompts and use a journal to map out how you can keep yourself inspired to work through this stage in your business and ultimately refocus yourself and your business.
Burnout usually means you are taking on too much, you have changed direction and now feel lost or you are unsure of what to do next.
Take these slowly. Don’t get caught up over thinking your answers. Your best work comes from being honest and writing down your first gut answer. This will be your intuition kicking in to lend a hand.
1 – What made me start my business?
You need to go in depth into your why or driving force behind why you started your business. It isn’t enough to say you wanted to help people, you wanted to support your family, or you like it. You have to be selfish, there is a HUGE reason why you started your business and you have to bring it to the forefront of your mind.
2 – Do I understand what I am trying to achieve within my business?
Basically, do you have a bigger picture of what you want your business to look like that you can visually remind yourself of?
3 – Am I reminding myself daily of the above?
Vision boards, pictures on your phone, affirmations – are all reminders of where you want to be.
4 – Am I making the impact that I want within my business in this present moment?
Being a coach means making an impact within this world, are you aware of your impact? Are you making the impact that you set out to make?
5 – What does my working day look like now?
Plan out what you do daily.
6 – What do I want my day to look like?
Plan out what you WANT it to look.
7 – Why do I think I am hitting/have hit burnout?
Journal how this looks for you right now.
8 – What lessons can I learn from this experience?
There is a lesson in everything even when it feels shit. Find the lesson within this and put things into place that will allow you to work through anything that comes up in the future.
9 – What inspires me?
HUGE question. List all the things that feel good to do. This will be your way out of this hole you feel like you are in currently.
10 – How I can I feel inspired daily?
Do something from your list every day. No matter how small do it, this will fill up your piggy bank and will make sure that burnout isn’t such a huge adjustment in the future.
Regaining your clarity through rough patches within your business will help you grow stronger.
Just think of it as another boulder that you are climbing over and learning from. Each tough part is a lesson. Implementing the solution to this problem within your business will then make sure that you are ready next time round.
I now look at burnout as being followed by breakthroughs. Sometimes burnout can creep up on you as you aren’t feeling well, you are exhausted, or you just aren’t feeling in flow and everything feels forced. Looking at it differently will naturally bring on breakthroughs because you are learning what essentially doesn’t work within your business and your world. We tend to struggle when we are doing things that aren’t feeling good to us.
If you feel like burnout is imminent, you are in the middle of a tough patch or you know you are heading there please know it is ok. Slow down. Take time to come back to center and journal your way through the issues that are coming up.
There is always an answer and you hold them within you.
Get used to asking yourself the right questions to move forward.
Take care
Abby
About the author:
Abby is a published author, guidance coach and journaling expert. She has a beautiful habit of being able to see the best in people and drawing it out of them via clever journaling prompts. She has a deep understanding of her own struggles living with bipolar and has found ways to manage and maintain her wellbeing throughout her business journey.
If you would like to follow Abby:
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www.pinkfizzz.co.uk
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